Liquefied natural gas

World-leading LNG gas analysis

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is making the transition to green energy possible. It provides a steady supply of low-carbon power for homes and industry as we switch to more sustainable sources. That’s why we’ve created a range of solutions for process control, quality assurance and safety standards.

Gas analysis helps to control LNG purity

Natural gas contains a small amount of moisture, carbon dioxide, and sulfur compounds, all impurities are removed through gas treatment processes. Pipeline corrosion from acid impurities, such as CO2 or H2S in the presence of water, must be also avoided from a safety point of view. Gas analysis helps ensure these contaminants are removed effectively, protecting product quality and safeguarding pipelines.

Reliable systems for safety monitoring

LNG vapors are flammable in concentrations of 5 to 15 percent in air, so gas analysis is essential for safety measurements during LNG transportation. The regulations for this application insist on redundancy within each system, so at least two Paramagnetic oxygen analyzers are specified. These can also be used for safety measurements at the LNG storage tanks before and
after transportation.

SpectraExact 2500F

Trusted solutions to suit your LNG process

Servomex offers gas analysis measurements across the liquefaction process through the rugged and flexible SERVOTOUGH SpectraExact 2500. This reliable, accurate, and stable real-time online photometric analyzer uses Infrared and Gas Filter Correlation sensing technologies to provide measurements of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and water in amine for control and quality measurements. Designed for ease of use, the SpectraExact 2500 is suitable for demanding process applications, including monitoring continually flammable sample streams in hazardous areas.

Reliable expertise for your LNG projects

The world leader in gas analysis, Servomex understands your LNG process from start to finish. We deliver key solutions for liquefaction and transportation applications.

Expert team

Armed with deep applications knowledge, our experts can advise on the optimum solution for your process conditions, supplying gas analysis that exactly matches your requirements.

Precise solutions

With a wide range of gas analysis technologies available, we’re able to deliver the most precise and correct measurement for various LNG processes.

Global support

Our high-performance analyzers are supported by a network of service and support personnel, ensuring reliable performance across your process.

Meet the experts

Karen leads the Industrial Process and Emissions Business Unit in providing solutions which support our customers as they overcome the challenges of making their processes safer, cleaner, and more efficient.

Karen Gargallo, Business Unit Manager, IP&E

Responsible for managing our oxygen analyzers in the Industrial Process & Emissions sector, Keith has been working with gas analysis solutions for more than 20 years, 12 of them at Servomex.

Keith Warren, Product Manager

Leading the life-cycle management of our Spectroscopic analyzer range, Rhys is responsible for the development of the markets they serve, and the strategic growth of those technologies.

Rhys Jenkins, IP&E Product Manager, Spectroscopic Analyzers

Overseeing the business development operations of our Industrial Process & Emissions team in China, Huiyu leads our pursuit of large international projects.

Huiyu Guan, Business Development Manager, IP&E, China

Stephen is responsible for managing the lifecycle of new Servomex Products, specifically, the introduction of new technologies into Servomex Analyzers. As STEM Team Leader he also coordinates the internal and external STEM program.

Stephen Firth, Product Manager- Strategic Projects

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4900 Multigas

SERVOPRO Safe Area

The 4900 Multigas is a high-performance CEMS analyzer designed for a wide range of multi-gas measurements.

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Oxy 1900

SERVOTOUGH Hazardous Area

The Oxy 1900 oxygen (O2) gas analyzer sets new standards of flexibility, stability and reliability from a single, cost-effective unit.

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OxyExact 2200

SERVOTOUGH Hazardous Area

The high-specification OxyExact 2200 O2 analyzer offers an unrivaled combination of precision, flexibility and performance for optimum process and safety control.

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SpectraExact 2500F

SERVOTOUGH Hazardous Area

Flexible single and multicomponent gas analysis capability for corrosive, toxic and flammable sample streams.

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ALL NEW SERVOTOUGH SpectraExact 2500F Product Brochure

Find out about our adaptable Photometric process monitoring analyzer

ALL NEW SERVOTOUGH SpectraExact 2500F Product Brochure

Find out about our adaptable Photometric process monitoring analyzer

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SERVOTOUGH Oxy 1900 Product Brochure

Learn more about safety-enhanced O2 analysis in challenging applications

SERVOTOUGH Oxy 1900 Product Brochure

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SERVOTOUGH OxyExact 2200 Product Brochure

Get more details on our high-specification oxygen analyzer for hazardous processes

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The latest news in LNG analysis

See what’s new in liquefied natural gas, including our latest product releases and application solutions.

Your new guide to all you need to know about gas analysis

February 2023

Our latest webinar explores solutions for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production

November 2022

See the benefits of advanced photometric analysis with our new video

November 2022

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Listen now as our experts discuss gas analysis solutions for liquefied natural gas processes, and how they overcome the challenges of safety, emissions monitoring, process control, and quality.

Unpacking the LNG Process: An Overview and its Analysis Solutions

Liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is primarily composed of 90% methane with a mixture of ethane, propane, butane, heavier alkanes, and nitrogen, plays a crucial role in global energy applications. It powers industries, warms homes, and fuels commercial endeavors. Yet, turning raw natural gas into a deliverable product is a complex journey involving several key stages.

1. A Five-Stage Process

The journey from natural gas extraction to customer delivery involves five stages: exploration and production, refrigeration and liquefaction, transportation, storage and regasification, and finally, customer delivery. Innovative gas analysis solutions focus on these stages, concentrating on the liquefaction plant, transportation, and storage and regasification plant.

2. Gas Treatment and Liquefaction

Natural gas is primarily composed of energy sources such as methane and ethane, along with traces of moisture, carbon dioxide, and sulfur compounds. These impurities are eliminated through a gas treatment process, which includes ‘gas sweetening’ to remove acid gases such as CO2 and H2S. This step is vital to avoid corrosion in pipelines, which could pose a safety risk.

During gas sweetening, CO2 is absorbed and removed from natural gas using an amine absorber. An absorbent is used to remove water to prevent ice formation during the subsequent liquefaction process.

To prepare for transportation, natural gas is condensed into a cryogenic liquid via a process known as liquefaction. This involves cooling the gas to about minus 162°C at nearly atmospheric pressure.

SpectraExact 2500F

3. Ensuring Quality and Safety

Technologies such as the SERVOTOUGH SpectraExact 2500 provide robust and reliable gas analysis measurements throughout the liquefaction process. Using infrared and gas filter correlation sensing technologies, this analyzer can accurately measure levels of carbon dioxide, water in amine, offering both control and quality measurements during gas treatment and liquefaction.

Once the gas is liquified, it can be transported by sea to destination terminals. It’s worth noting that LNG vapors can be flammable in concentrations of 5 to 15% in the air, but neither explodes nor burns as a liquid. Therefore, gas analysis is critical for safety measurements during transportation, especially for monitoring marine vapor recovery processes.

4. Import Terminal and Regasification

At destination terminals, the LNG is converted back into gas and fed into local supply grids. This process of regasification requires continuous emissions monitoring to ensure environmental compliance. Depending on regional regulations, this might entail measuring carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, or reference oxygen.

The SERVOPRO 4900 Multigas, a high-performance continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) analyzer, is designed for a wide range of measurements. It can deliver up to four simultaneous gas stream measurements using a range of non-depleting sensor technologies.

 

5. Proven Expertise in LNG Production

Companies like Servomex have proven, long-standing expertise in the LNG production process. Their latest model, the SpectraExact 2500, is particularly effective throughout the process, delivering rugged photometric analysis of gaseous and liquefied samples in both safe and hazardous areas.

In conclusion, while the journey of natural gas from extraction to delivery is complex, innovative technologies and robust gas analysis solutions make the process safer and more efficient. For more information, you can visit the Servomex website.

Watch the Servomex Production Process video on Liquefied natural Gas, now.

Harnessing the Power of Natural Gas: An Insight into the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Production Process

Natural gas, often buried together with petroleum. It is one of the fossil fuels and refers to combustible gas that is emitted from oil fields that extract oil, gas fields that only emit gas, or during coal mining.. Predominantly odorless and colorless, it houses various compounds, with methane being the most abundant. Hydrocarbon liquids called Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) and non-hydrocarbon gases like carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, and water vapor also form part of its constituents.

When natural gas undergoes liquefaction, it is cooled to -162°C, reducing its volume approximately 600 times, thus facilitating easy shipping and storage. The use of natural gas was not significant economically until gas pipelines were established in the 20th century, which increased its applicability. Today, it is used predominantly for electricity generation, industrial heating, and the production of essential chemicals such as fertilizers and hydrogen.

Natural gas presents itself as one of the cleanest, safest, and most useful energy sources. Burning it releases up to 30% less CO2 compared to oil, thus making it a desirable intermediary in the journey towards achieving carbon neutrality. Furthermore, the demand for natural gas is expected to soar in the foreseeable future, given that renewables cannot yet entirely replace oil, gas, and coal. The global market for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), in particular, is projected to grow at a rate of about 11.4% through to 2027.

LNG Production Process

The production process of LNG involves the removal of components like dust, acid gases, helium, water, and heavy hydrocarbons. It can be divided into five stages: pretreatment, Acid Gas Removal (AGR), Dehydration Recovery, Heavy Hydrocarbon Separation, and LNG transportation. The LNG production process can also be summarized into three phases: the extraction of natural gas, gas treatment, and storage and transportation.

1. Extraction of Natural Gas. The natural gas collected from gas fields predominantly consists of energy sources such as methane and ethane. It also contains a small amount of moisture, carbon dioxide, and sulphur compounds.

2. Gas Treatment. This phase involves treating the natural gas collected. It includes processes like CO2 removal, essential for selling natural gas. An aqueous solution, known as amine, is used to remove a significant amount of CO2. The sweet gas then goes through the liquefaction process to be kept in the LNG storage.

3. Storage and Transportation. After the treatment, natural gas is stored and transported in cryogenic tanks. During the LNG loading and unloading operations, boil-off gas (BOG) is generated due to the heat ingress into the LNG. LNG is typically transported by sea on specially designed LNG ships and stored in LNG tanks.

LNG storage and transportation are considered safe as LNG vapor are flammable only in concentrations of 5% to 15% with air but neither explodes nor burns as a liquid. However, these operations are not risk-free. To mitigate these risks, inerting monitoring is required. Unit installed at the top of the tank make sure O2 goes below 3% during inerting and before LNG is filled in

At the import terminal, the LNG is re-gasified. Heat exchangers, heated by natural gas-fired burners, convert LNG from a liquid state to a gaseous state. The final stage of the process involves distributing the gas to consumers such as large power plants and residential homes by gas distribution companies.

Measurement and Application

The efficiency of the gas sweetening stage relies heavily on the accuracy of CO2 and water in amine measurements in the amine sweetening process. After the natural gas is liquefied, quality measurements are crucial to ensure that CO2 levels are low enough to prevent equipment damage during the latter stages of the process. For safety purposes, oxygen measurements in the vapor recovery measurement point and inerting monitoring of the storage tank are also vital.

Furthermore, when it comes to emissions monitoring at LNG terminals, regulatory compliance is paramount. Exhaust gases emitted during the regasification process must be closely monitored to ensure that local regulations are adhered to.

 

A New Era of Advanced Diagnostics

To meet these evolving measurement and monitoring requirements, innovative solutions like the SpectraSensors 2500 model have been introduced. The 2500 model offers a user-friendly interface, advanced internal data logging, and diagnostic capabilities. Furthermore, it is optimized for CO2 measurement, making it a viable solution for LNG production processes. The model’s compatibility with existing installations ensures a seamless transition from older models.

As we continue to witness the growing importance of natural gas in the global energy landscape, such advancements in monitoring and measurement technologies will prove crucial in optimizing the LNG production process. They will pave the way for a safer, more efficient, and sustainable future of energy production.

View the Servomex Production Process webinar on Liquefied natural Gas.

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Still not convinced? Find out how our analyzers deliver the measurements you need for quick reliable ammonia monitoring. Our range of technologies provide the optimum solution for your plant conditions. Speak to our application experts to find out more.


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